November 9, 2010
Pressure Balanced Elbow Expansion Joint
The existing pressure balanced elbow expansion joint with liners was re-designed with turning vanes to eliminate the vibration impact on the bellows. U.S. Bellows performed a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to determine the design of the turning vanes.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analysis
The turning vanes redirect the flow stream, which creates a smoother flow, thus eliminating the flow induced vibration. The bellows and liner were fabricated from 321 stainless steel and the rest is fabricated from carbon steel. An air and soap test was performed prior to shipping it to a power plant in Washington.
